Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am absolutely beyond eager to get back into Dear Brother, and at last find out however Nanako handles the imposing Sorority sisters. I’ve frankly been consumed with anticipation ever since I watched the last episode; I could try and feign some critical distance here, but the honest truth is this show has already swept me up, and I’m eager to simply know what happens next. I know, me caring about plot developments? It’s a strange affair to be sure, but Ikeda is proving herself a master of hooks and momentum, and Seiran is such a fantastical venue that it feels like anything is possible.

Last episode saw Nanako racing towards her destiny with renewed determination, as Misaki’s schemes forced her to abandon her comfortable passivity, and actually fight for her position in the Sorority. Her personal growth was accompanied by a variety of ingenious new visual tricks from Dezaki, ranging from the glimmering motes of light used to convey sunset’s glow, to the aggressive screen partitioning and negative space used to foster a sense of growing entrapment. Nanako’s already changed to such an extent that she’s unwilling to reveal her transformation to Dear Brother, but I imagine it’ll take even more calluses than that to survive the trials of Seiran. Let’s get to it!

Episode 4

Considering the events of our first three episodes, this singer’s pledge to abandon her past and its happiness for an unknown future has gained some potential resonance. Her past is her identity as known by Dear Brother, the perpetual innocent, an identity further emphasized through the OP’s doll imagery. By choosing to contend with the Sorority, Nanako is abandoning the naïve fantasies of the past, and the doll-like simplicity of perspective that accompanied them. Given this framing, the only question is: who is this song being directed towards?

“The Music Box.” Another key OP motif! This should help clarify things

That trick of completely blacking out portions of the screen to create a pillar of entrapment is used to its best effect yet as we see Nanako take her seat before the council. It’s even got an in-universe explanation this time, as the narrow view that Shinobu can see through the door

Nanako’s announcement that her hobby is baking inspires some scattered murmurs from the council. Tough crowd!

Though Nanako has already steeled herself in order to survive Misaki’s slings and arrows, she’s nonetheless still such an innocent that her answers charm the council

Lovely shots as she trudges dejectedly away from the party. I like how the butterflies here echo the wind blowing through Nanako’s hair, creating a greater sense of mental disarray

And deft use of the shadows presented by this archway that Nanako and Shinobu pass beneath. The amplification of contrast here echoes the ominous tone of their conversation, leading up to the revelation that Misaki must have been responsible for Nanako’s tardiness. That naturally leads into this sequence’s most imposing cut, as Shinobu’s grim expression is accompanied by her hair filling the frame, leaving nothing but darkness and her furious eyes. Shinobu’s design is naturally good at amplifying her inherent menace – and as we jump directly from that shot to black branches surrounding the school tower, the show seems to be implying that Shinobu’s darkness will eventually consume the whole academy

God, Dezaki’s so fucking good at storyboarding. Nanako’s return to her house is conveyed through a sequence of five cuts that flow beautifully into each other, with Nanako’s movement in the frame naturally guiding the viewer’s eye from the far right of Nanako’s entrance to the eventual glow of her window on the left

“If I were in such a situation, could I be sure that I wouldn’t do the same?” Nanako apparently sees herself as capable of some pretty heinous villainy

Lovely sunset colors as Tomoko comforts Nanako. You can trace an extremely obvious route from Tomoko to Utena’s Wakaba: the very ordinary friend who serves as our heroine’s rock, as well as a connection to their pre-stardom life. Setting this discussion at their childhood swing set further amplifies this connection between Tomoko and Nanako’s childhood

Shinobu greets Nanako with another tackle-hug as they reconvene at school. They were both selected!

“You miserable potato heads.” God I love Shinobu

“Want me to say it again? Potato heads!” SHE’S THE BEST

Misaki slips up in her protests and reveals she made the phone call, while both Saint-Juste and Kaoru look on grimly

“Every year we have our arrogant Miya-sama playing her games with the freshmen.” While Kaoru continues to express her moral disagreement with the Sorority’s fundamental nature, Saint-Juste picks at the petals of a flower, playing a silent game of “she loves me, she loves me not.” The contrast further clarifies their relative relationships with Miya-sama – Kaoru outright dislikes her for her manipulation, while it seems like Saint-Juste is still one of those unfortunate souls dancing to her tune

I appreciate Nanako’s persistent curiosity regarding why she was chosen. While Shinobu is perfectly happy to play this game as it’s presented, Nanako is already wondering at Miya-sama’s true intentions

But Tomoko is distraught! She flees from her newly Sorority-decorated friend

Misaki and her friends’ newest form of torment is yelling at Nanako to speak louder while she’s reading to the class. As is generally the case with these fantasy high school dramas, the teacher proves to have absolutely no power over his students. It’s only when Kaoru intrudes that order is reestablished

Though obviously anime tends to embellish the power and self-determination of teenagers, it’s true that teachers are often indifferent to bullying, or even more sympathetic to the bullies than whatever “weird” or “difficult” child is the target of their attacks. School frequently teaches students that authorities will not help them

Kaoru literally yanks Misaki off her feet in anger, leading into the funniest postcard memory shot yet, of Kaoru just hulking out and tossing these jerks around the room

Kaoru’s androgyny is further emphasized during cooking class, where it’s revealed she can’t successfully break an egg. Some adorable Kaoru expressions of befuddlement as she assesses her rogue egg

Over in Tomoko’s class, she’s reflecting on how she overreacted, and should apologize to Nanako. I’d love for that to go well, but given this ominous composition and general narrative convention, I imagine things are going to get worse between them before they get better

Misaki strikes again, now revealing that Nanako’s mother used to be a cocktail waitress. As always, Misaki is entirely preoccupied with class, and sees each of these revelations as sufficient reason for Nanako to be barred from the Sorority. Misaki’s unerring belief in class as personal worth means she genuinely cannot comprehend why Nanako was chosen over her

Misaki further attests that Nanako’s current father had a previous wife and child, and that her mother and herself essentially replaced them

But look, it’s Shinobu from the top ring, and she’s got a bucket of flour! MISAKI TAKES THE FLOUR TO THE CHIN!

“Shut up! You daughter of a rat dog!” Shinobu is just absolutely killing it this episode

Nanako is understandably distraught about these revelations regarding her parents. Not only is Seiran Academy forcing her to become more guarded and cynical to contend with its own trials, it’s also robbing her of the comforting innocence of her childhood

“There are times when you have to endure undeserved slander.” Kaoru is the perfect person to offer this lesson, given both the slander she herself endures, as well as her understanding of how Miya-sama is specifically provoking this infighting

At home, Nanako’s mother receives a package addressed to Nanako from “Henmi Takahiko,” a name that seems to fill her with fear. So is Nanako’s “Dear Brother” actually her half-brother?

And after school, Shinobu puts her own evil scheme into action, informing Tomoko that Nanako no longer wants to walk home with her. Most of the schemes in this series seem to embody the opposite of the honest communication and sympathy that Kaoru seeks; they’re all about miscommunication and mistaken assumptions, which seems fitting for the superficial yet judgmental ethos of the Sorority itself

As Nanako heads home, the red evening light and silhouetted passerby make for a stark evocation of her unhappy feelings. Once again Seiran is robbing Nanako of her past treasures, now corrupting her friendship with Tomoko

And at last, the music box!

And Done

Oh Nanako, what have you gotten yourself into. Though she initially pursued the Sorority without any real hope or intention of joining, she has now sacrificed her idyllic memories of childhood, her peaceful school life, and even her best friend in service to that pursuit. Meanwhile, Shinobu is blooming into precisely the kind of awful chaos gremlin I was hoping for, tossing off all-timer insults like “daughter of a rat dog” while concocting just as many terrible schemes as the dreaded Misaki. Nanako has now been unmoored from two of her greatest sources of strength: her happy childhood, and her relationship with Tomoko. With only Dear Brother and Shinobu left to turn to, I imagine the road will be getting even bumpier from here on out!

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